Why?

Why is so much of democratic life about demeaning those who engage in self-sacrifice and public service?

Why is politics and too much of the market perpetually driven by the lowest common denominator and the basest, dumbest popular thinking, even when we know or sometimes when we don't know how bad it is for us?

Why is this world so consistently one that rewards vice and punishes virtue and people celebrate that like it is an legitimate organizing principle of society and life?

Why are people constantly reifying ugly realities as inevitable and therefore unchangeable even if life would clearly be better, fairer, more decent if they were and if people were to make a concerted effort to do so?

Why are people such unapologetic shitheads celebrating that fact as if being self-reflective and self-critical would just be so much more work than shitting on their neighbor and reinforcing cynical realities?

Why are good people so regularly treated badly that we can't even tell the difference, anymore, because we've taken to treating everyone badly no matter who they are? And how in the world can we pretend like that is some kind of more noble governing or personal philosophy enlightening the world with its pressure and arm-twisting?

How does an entire culture behave this way and call it good?

Why?

I think those are questions that any reasonable person should be able to ask in America, today, and expect some kind of reasonable answer other than "Because you can't do anything about it anyway."

I am disgusted with my country, these days. Because it just can't get honest about what an ugly place it has become to live as long as it behaves like this.

Love,
Ben